New Wales Under Armour kit revealed

Welsh rugby fans line up alongside Wales heroes on the pitch at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to reveal new Wales Under Armour national kit

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Under Armour today revealed the new Wales Under Armour WRU home kit for 2013-2015.

Sam Warburton, Alun Wyn Jones, Leigh Halfpennyand a host of other Wales stars were joined by hundreds of loyal fans on the Millennium Stadium pitch last night (Wednesday 16th October) to reveal the new, pervasively red, national team kit - to be worn by the reigning, double RBS Six Nations Champions for the next two seasons.

British and Irish Lions tour winning captains Warburton and Jones, man-of-the-series Halfpenny, and fellow Lions heroes from the historic win in Australia this summer, Alex Cuthbert, Ian Evans and Toby Faletau, became the first players to wear the new Wales kit for a unique photocall on the hallowed turf of the national stadium, as they joined fans to form an 'Army of Red'.

Decked from head to toe in the red of Wales, a flag-bearing Halfpenny led the march from the Millennium Stadium's North stand to its South, to a chorus of 'Bread of Heaven'.

"It was a fantastic occasion for us to get back on the field at the home of Welsh rugby with hundreds of our supporters," said fan's favourite, Halfpenny.

"When we walk out for the first game against South Africa at the Millennium Stadium next month, we know that the nation will be behind us.

"The new kit looks and feels great, we are used to the performance qualities that the Under Armour gear provides and with the technology which has once again gone into producing it, we feel confident that we have all the support we need to prepare for the upcoming Autumn matches."

Under Armour has been the global partner and technical sponsor of the Welsh Rugby Union since September 2008. The continued technological advancements of the Under Armour kit will ensure that the reigning Six Nations Champions can perform at the pinnacle of their game, whatever the conditions.

The new kit will first be seen in action when Wales take on the Springboks in Cardiff in the opening game of the four-match Dove Men Series on 9th November - and will be worn for two international seasons, up until 2015 Rugby World Cup preparations.

"When we canvassed the players for their opinions on how to advance the kit, the feedback was 'Under Armour have got it right'", said WRU head of sales and marketing, Craig Maxwell.

"So there have been enhancements, the material has improved in strength, lightness and construction and there are one or two more touches like improved air venting and an exciting new all red look for the players, but we haven't tried to fix what wasn't broken.

"We think fans will agree that Under Armour have supplied a striking jersey of immense quality and, you only have to look at our international record since Under Armour came on board in 2008, to know that the technological advancements in this kit certainly suit the players."

The most striking feature of the new kit is the proliferation of the colour red throughout, including both shorts and socks alongside its traditional use on the jersey itself.

Under Armour's most technologically advanced kit to date, features black detailing on the shoulders and down its flanks - where it fades through a deep red colour into white - and also carries a reference to a Dragon's tail towards the bicep area, paying homage to the WRU's new digital mascot Scorch, set off by the familiar logo of jersey sponsor Admiral across the chest.

Elsewhere the Welsh national team's customary red colour is retained in abundance, with the shorts replicating the styling of the jersey exactly and the socks are entirely red, save for a double flash of white below the calf.

The innovative kit features include:

ArmourGrid Fabric: Creates a lightweight shirt and shorts with 'no grab' technology, adding to the competitive advantageArmour Grip Technology: A strategically placed grippy area on the body of the shirt aids in catching and securing the ball. Featuring a unique dragon scale print, designed specifically for WRUFunction Panels: Panels on the shirt in compression fabric and mesh allow the grid sections to function as individual plates, maintaining a freedom of movement without sacrificing on weight, durability and breathabilityStretch Mesh Underarm: Ventilated underarm panel with four-way stretch offers maximum breathability and player mobilityShorts Stretch-Gusset: The gusset provides four-way stretch in a critical flex zoneShorts Grippy Waistband: An internal waistband grip prevents the shirt from untucking during play

Since 2008, the Welsh national side has reached a Rugby World Cup semi-final (New Zealand, 2011) completed two Grand Slams (2008, 2012) and retained the RBS 6 Nations title in back- to-back seasons for the first time since the 1970's (2012, 2013).

Matt Shearer, General Manager EMEA, Under Armour, said: "Given our heritage and foundation around telling a performance story, we're confident that this is the most technically advanced kit that the Welsh National Team has ever had and we hope that with our ongoing support, the reigning Six Nations Champions will continue to establish their position as one of the world's elite teams."

We look ahead to the French tests in this week's Principality Welsh Rugby Union Podcast. We look ahead to Wales France with Warren Gatland, Sam Warburton, Scott Baldwin, Rhys Webb and Jonathan Davies. Wales Women are the only team in red still unbeaten in this Six Nations, we speak to captain Rachel Taylor. Wales U20 are looking bounce back from defeat in Scotland, we hear from coach Jason Strange, captain Rory Thornton and front rower Dillon Lewis.

Warren Gatland and Sam Warburton look ahead to this week's crunch RBS 6 Nations tie against France, where the Wales skipper in particular is keen to make his mark, as Paris has proved a bleak place for him in the past.

Reaction from Scotland and a special focus on Welsh Women's rugby in this week's Principality Welsh Rugby Union Podcast. We hear from Wales captain Sam Warburton and coach Warren Gatland, as well as Wales U20 reaction from forwards coach Geraint Lewis, along with Josh Adams and Olly Griffiths. There is also a special focus on Welsh Women's rugby with coach Rhys Edwards, as well as hearing from clubs Bedlinog, Penybanc, Kidwelly and Skewen. We also speak to volunteer of the year, Sue Davies on Whitland and the Scarlets.

Following their historic win over England, Wales Under 20 suffered a narrow, 36-34 loss to their Scottish counterparts last weekend, despite outscoring them by five tries to three. Watch the match highlights and reaction.

Disappointment at the Millennium Stadium, but don't be sad because two out of three is not bad in this week's Principality Welsh Rugby Union Podcast as the 20s and Women both win. We hear from Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate, Alun Wyn Jones, Jamie Roberts and Leigh Halfpenny about the defeat to England and looking forward to Scotland. Wales U20s captain Ollie Griffiths, back Josh Adams and forwards coach Geraint Lewis talk about their victory over double world champions England, while Wales Women also beat a world championship winning England team - we speak to backs Elinor Snowsill, Ade Taviner and Laurie Harris.

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